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QR Codes

QR Code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside the industry due to its fast readability and large storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. The code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of four standardized kinds ("modes") of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji), or through supported extensions, virtually any kind of data.

The QR Code was invented in Japan by the Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process, and was originally designed to allow components to be scanned at high speed. It has since become one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes.

Unlike the older one-dimensional barcode that was designed to be mechanically scanned by a narrow beam...

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Hamilton Chan is CEO and founder of Paperlinks, which provides the leading QR code infrastructure for businesses. Codes generated through Paperlinks app can be scanned by the free Paperlinks iPhone app or by any QR code reader on any smartphone platf...

Millions of Coca-Cola cups circulating this month will sport QR codes for a program that supports the brand's holiday mascot, the polar bear. The brand is partnering with the World Wildlife Fund for the initiative, which aims to help conserve the pol...

Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks. QR codes have mostly been used to direct consumers to websites, but a holiday promotion from J.C. Penney takes a different approach. As the video above d...

Starbucks is launching a QR code program designed to let consumers learn more about its coffee. The codes, created by Scanbuy, have already started appearing at some Starbucks locations and in ads in popular magazines like People and in daily newspap...

Be careful the next time you scan a QR code, because it might just cost you money and wreak havoc on your smartphone. That's the warning from Kaspersky Lab, which has noticed the first instance of QR code tampering. The incident took place in Russia ...

SCVNGR is introducing a pay-by-QR-code mobile payments experience called LevelUp in San Francisco and New York Wednesday, after an eight week pilot period in Boston and Philadelphia. With the launch, SCVNGR is fully committing to an entirely new dire...

HSN is incorporating QR codes in its TV programming for a four-day series of sales on electronics and other products that fall in the "innovation" category, beginning Friday. Jill Braff, EVP of digital commerce at HSN, says the shopping network was a...

A Jersey Shore racetrack has been covered in 80 gallons of black and white paint in one company's quest to create the largest QR code of all time. The monstrous code spans 10,000 square feet on the Wall Stadium Speedway -- which means it's only visib...

Here's a circuitous route to free advertising on Google: An Austin, Texas, firm will install QR codes on rooftops in an attempt to sneak into Google Maps. Phillips & Co.'s new proposition, called Blue Marble, offers a "space-accessible profile" for b...

The only question hotter right now than which Republican candidate will face President Obama in the 2012 election is: What new technology will define the race? Next year’s candidates will be expected to increase their digital presences beyond major p...

This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication. Hamilton Chan is CEO and founder of Paperlinks. With the free Paperlinks iPhone app, featured previously by Apple as the #1 New & Noteworthy app, co...

Fox Searchlight is shunning traditional promotional opportunities like releasing teasers and trailers for its upcoming film Martha Marcy May Marlene. Instead, the studio is rolling out an elaborate QR code campaign for the movie, which hits theaters ...

The activist organization Can You Solve This? is using QR codes to raise awareness for education inequality in Iran. The grassroots initiative, launched in Berlin Saturday, is spreading QR codes on stickers, t-shirts and posters to attract people to ...

Laura Marriott is CEO and and acting board chairperson of NeoMedia. She was also named one of the industry’s Mobile Women to Watch 2010 by Mobile Marketer, Top 50 U.S. Executives by Mobile Entertainment and Top 10 Women in Wireless by FierceMarkets. ...

Taco Bell has made its sodas and burritos interactive with QR codes. The fast food chain began adding the codes to its packaging late last month thanks to a deal with Scanbuy. When activated, the codes -- available on a large fountain drink or a Big ...

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: Kuapay Quick Pitch: Kuapay is a mobile ...

In a sign of growth for the technology, some 14 million people in the U.S. -- more than twice the population of Massachusetts -- used a QR code in June, according to a new report. Those people, representing 6.2% of the total mobile audience in the U....

Artist Yiying Lu's most familiar work is probably the infamous Twitter fail whale. And now her techie repertoire includes illustrations of famous faces in fashion that incorporate QR codes. Lu's 10 illustrations in Meets Obsession magazine’s “10 Most...

Those quick-response (QR) codes you see spreading far and wide give smartphone users a painless way to go to a company's website, get discounts or gather contact information. But some QR codes are scanned more than others. Why? Is it because those wi...

Google+ continued its dominance on our monthly most-shared stories list -- securing seven spots -- but news items about the comeback of 1990s Nickelodeon shows and Facebook's Skype-powered video chat also battled their way into the spotlight. Several...

In the same way that bar codes don't have to be boring, quick response codes can also be creative. Thanks to a 30% tolerance in readability, you can have some real fun with clever designs. Besides looking good, this can also make them more successful...

Memorable business cards are either all about minimalism or maximum creativity. If you've decided to avoid the American Psycho-esque, off-white, watermarked business card and flex your artistic muscles, here are 14 ideas that will help to inspire you...

The artist who brought you Twitter's fail whale has joined the fashion realm -- but still with a tech twist. Yiying Lu debuted Wednesday two of her 10 illustrations that will appear in Meets Obsession magazine's “10 Most Intriguing in Fashion" featur...

When Yoav Medan’s mother Judith passed away in June, the Israel-based medical technology executive couldn’t decide what he wanted to write on her tombstone. After deliberating with his family, Medan decided to turn to technology for the answer and at...

Zappos has launched an ad campaign that expands the definition of "interactive" -- by using QR codes to let consumers dress naked models featured in print ads. The ads, breaking later this month, seek to drive home the point that Zappos offers "more ...

QR codes are all the rage these days, and if you've got an Android, you hold in your hand the power to unlock the mysteries of the QR code-spackled world. These distinctive barcodes are generally square and rendered in simple black-and-white blotches...

Starbucks starts a two-week scavenger hunt in partnership with Lady Gaga on Thursday. When customers scan QR codes on in-store banners, magnetic chalkboards and posters, they'll see the first of many clues in the coffee retailer's seven-round scaveng...

Do-it-yourselfers will now be able to do more product research by themselves as well, now that The Home Depot is bringing mobile barcodes to its shelves. The DIY retailer has partnered with Scanbuy to include the codes in store, in print ads and sign...

The Digital Marketing Series is supported by HubSpot, which offers inbound marketing software that helps small and medium sized businesses get found on the Internet by the right prospects and converts more of them into leads and customers. Learn more...

QR codes are everywhere these days -- in fine art exhibits, some cities' building permits, wrapping paper and every imaginable kind of marketing campaign. QR code-focused startup JumpScan was kind enough to send along a graphically organized represen...

A new plan unveiled by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday will put QR codes on all NYC building permits by 2013. New Yorkers who scan the codes will be able to learn details about ongoing projects, read complaints and violations related...

In the old days, when a musician pushing a new album appeared on a talk show, the host would hold up the album cover, but Jimmy Fallon this week may have started a new trend by offering up a QR code instead. Fallon had Tyler, The Creator and Hodgy Be...

Barcode scanning applications for iPhone and Android are a dime a dozen. Monday, mobile barcode service Scanbuy is introducing technology that brings barcode scanning to all mobile phones with MMS capabilties, no application needed. Scanbuy's new "Sc...

Pablo Picasso once said, "Computers are useless. They can only give you answers." True, but they can also help sell an exhibit. Case in point: The Martin Agency in Richmond, Virginia, put a small budget toward a campaign promoting the Virginia Museum...

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